All Bingo Club

Bingo Conscience

Some people perceive the charity bingo as primarily a charity donation (which may even be tax deductible!) where the fun of the game and any winnings incurred are completely incidental. This raises a significant problem when larger sums are won. Such a problem is exactly what some of my friends raised during my last big bingo win. Isn't winning such large sums a sort of canceling of the charity already given (since the win is deducted from the charity income)?

My Standard Answer

My standard answer to all such queries has already been voiced in my blog more than once. I don't think that there is anything wrong with winning at charity bingo games (otherwise, why play?). I see the winning as G-d's way of instantly awarding a good deed and encouraging more such good deeds. The charity fund does not see the win as impinging upon their funds because the win is part of the pre-calculated  expenses which are automatically deducted from the total income of the bingo event. In fact, winning can be seen as the L-rd's own personal endorsing of the worthy charity.

Appeasing the Conscience

For those people who for some reason must appease their conscience when winning large sums, I have several possible recommendations. First of all, I must point out that despite my previous paragraph, I am one of those whose conscience must be appeased. Therefore, my recommendations stem from my own personal coping with the issue. My basic recommendation is that a certain fixed percentage of all earnings should be donated directly to a well established, worthy charity. A good sum is about 5%-10%. Such a sum is good for several reasons. It is small enough not to significantly impact a big win while it is big enough to not seem like small change. Finally, such donations are cash deductible which becomes of extra importance when considering a big win.

An Ancient Bingo Reference

Although Bingo is always seen as a game that was developed fairly recently, I discovered that there is a reference to what may really have been one of the original bingo games of all times. This discovery is based on a number of assumptions. The first is that in ancient days, various forms of lotteries were used in order to divine the will of G-d (this is true today too - in certain cultures). Now I will describe to you avid readers what I have discovered.

The Biblical High Priest

The Bible describes the clothes of the high priest which officiated in the Tabernacle which was built by the Israelites in the desert. One particular item that was worn by the high priest was known as a "Hosen". The hosen is depicted as a vest like item of clothing which had twelve precious stones embedded in it. I recently saw a picture of this item of clothing and the resemblance to a bingo board was incredible (although with less rows and lines - of course). I later learned that according to ancient traditions the hosen was used to divine G-d's will at various occasions. King Saul and King David who followed after both used this method of communication extensively (in particular King David who asked advice from G-d very often). The hosen was supposed to have had all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet on it in order to enable the writing out of messages.

My Conclusion

My conclusion from all this is that the hosen was obviously some sort of letter lottery which involved scoring on a bingo board which was part of the dress code of the officiating high priest. Of course, other interpretations are possible (like describing the function of the hosen as a sort of Ouija board for example). Nonetheless, I like bingo, my blog is a bingo blog and I think it is fun to imagine high priests playing bingo games with King David and King Saul.

Having Won Leads to Contemplation 

I told you in a previous entry that I just won about 3000$ at a charity bingo event. Winning at bingo always leads the winner to contemplate the meaning of his winnings. There are several issues here which are open to discussion. The first of these is that the money spent at the game was supposed to go to charity. Does this mean that winning a prize means that your donation was declined by Heaven? I don't think so, if I did I probably would avoid playing at bingo charities because then I could never be happy with a win. I see the win rather as a Heavenly reward for donating charity wholeheartedly.

What About the Cash?

The next question that is immediately raised is what should one do with the money that is won. There are several possible solutions to this question and it is highly dependent on the individual preferences of the winner as well as the sum involved. In my particular instance, I dedicate a few dollars every month to participating in bingo games. I invested in this particular bingo game some 20$ so, that it would make sense to refund my bingo account for another game - this is always a prudent thing to do. Personally, I decided to set aside 200$ for future games, invest some 2000$ in a special savings account and the remaining 500$ are going to be part of the funding for my beloved wife's birthday party (which is coming up next month).

The Missing 300$

If you have followed my account you must have noticed that there are 300$ missing in the account. The total of the above sums is only 2700$. The reason for this discrepancy is that I always donate a tenth of all my gambling earnings to charity. This is my way of thanking G-d for the good fortune with which he has blessed me.

A Bingo Blog

Hey, this is my bingo blog so it is only natural that I should share bingo experiences. This is doubly true if I get to share winning experiences. Last night is not my regular bingo night but there was a local bingo game that I was invited to anyway. It was some sort of charity fundraiser for a pair of orphans who just got married and don't have any relations that could help them out on their initial foray into the real world. Well, what can I say? I am a sucker for bingo as well as good causes! Anyway, the event was held in a hall someone had donated and all proceeds were supposed to go directly to the newlyweds. The big prize was supposed to be 3000$. Which seemed reasonable. Based on the number of cards sold and the other prizes as well as the crowd size, I figured that the event would make about 10 thousand dollars so the game seemed a fair one.

I Win!

I play the bingo games to win - like everyone else - but I join them for the fun and excitement. The rules here were the straight forward ones for bingo (I guess some folks just don't have any imagination). To my amazement, some twenty or thirty numbers into the game, I found myself with one number left to complete my score board and get a nice line right down the "I" column of my bingo board. I found myself staring at the numbers and praying that the next number would be the one I was waiting for. I didn't have to wait long before my prayers were answered! 22 was the next number and it was exactly what I had been waiting for! With a whoop of joy and a victory dance I went to present my winning card and cash in on the grand prize. So, now I am writing this 3000$ richer. The only question is, what am I going to do with the money?